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Johnson County ambulance reports jump in survival after cardiac arrests and urges PulsePoint downloads and CPR training
Summary
Johnson County Ambulance Service reported a rise in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival (from about 9% in 2020 to 19.8% in 2025), credited partner outreach and PulsePoint app adoption and urged residents to learn hands-only CPR; staff offered multilingual training resources and library partnerships.
Fiona Johnson, ambulance director for Johnson County Ambulance Service, told the council the Rotary Kerber Heart Safe Community campaign and community partners have helped drive a measurable increase in survival to discharge from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, from about 9% in 2020 to roughly 19.8% in 2025 — a figure she characterized as a “120 percent increase.” Johnson emphasized community training, wider PulsePoint app adoption and library-based outreach as key elements.
Johnson asked residents to learn 15-minute hands-only CPR and to download the PulsePoint mobile app, which notifies app users of nearby cardiac arrests and includes brief guidance on CPR. She said only an estimated 3.5% of the community has downloaded the app, though downloads increased 23% in the last year. Johnson also said training materials distributed to county libraries are available in English and Spanish, with translations underway for additional languages.
Council thanked staff and the campaign partners; staff said the ambulance service will continue community training and coordination with the fire department and police, which are often first on scene.
